Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Somerville, MA and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Lisbon: $2,210 a month against $4,027 in Somerville, MA, rent and utilities included – about $21,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

194

Cost of Living Index in Somerville, MA
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Somerville, MA Living Index
107

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index

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Somerville, MA

🇺🇸 United States

$4,027

/mo nomad

Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,210

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Somerville, MA and in Lisbon

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Somerville, MA and in Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,027 in Somerville, MA versus $2,210 in Lisbon.

Somerville, MA $4,027
Lisbon $2,210

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,485 in Somerville, MA versus $3,275 in Lisbon.

Somerville, MA $5,485
Lisbon $3,275

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,943 in Somerville, MA versus $4,341 in Lisbon.

Somerville, MA $6,943
Lisbon $4,341

Living in Somerville, MA is roughly 82% more expensive than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Somerville, MA 196% above, Lisbon 62% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.09 $25.09

$16.65 €14.91

50.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.6 $94.6

$61.7 €55.3

53.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.42 $13.42

$11.36 €10.17

18.13%

Cappuccino

$5.36 $5.36

$2.97 €2.66

80.47%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 $2.98

$2.29 €2.05

30.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 $2.21

$1.74 €1.56

27.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.12 $8.12

$3.40 €3.05

138.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.74 $8.74

$3.31 €2.96

164.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 $1.05

$1.16 €1.04

-9.48%

White Bread (500g)

$4.06 $4.06

$1.91 €1.71

112.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$1.51 €1.35

264.90%

Eggs

$4.75 $4.75

$4.02 €3.60

18.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.55 $15.55

$12.94 €11.59

20.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.33 $14.33

$7.77 €6.96

84.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.95 $17.95

$17.76 €15.91

1.07%

Apples (1kg)

$6.86 $6.86

$2.30 €2.06

198.26%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 $2.08

$1.73 €1.55

20.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.56 $5.56

$1.86 €1.66

198.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$2.59 €2.32

160.23%

Potato (1kg)

$2.16 $2.16

$1.82 €1.63

18.68%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.97 €1.76

8.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.47 €1.32

98.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.99 $2.99

$0.72 €0.65

315.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.40 $13.40

$6.58 €5.90

103.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.64 $15.64

$5.61 €5.02

178.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$1.36 €1.22

53.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.09 $4.09

$2.14 €1.91

91.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.46 $2.46

$2.33 €2.09

5.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$90.1 $90.1

$44.68 €40.01

101.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.64 $2.64

$3.85 €3.45

-31.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.07 €0.96

62.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.45 $27.45

$16.46 €14.74

66.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 $1.04

$2.20 €1.97

-52.73%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$29.6K $29.6K

$34.2K €30.6K

-13.44%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.7K $26.7K

$38.7K €34.7K

-31.10%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$239 $239

$161 €144

48.41%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$76.0 $76.0

$18.41 €16.49

312.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.2 $76.2

$32.74 €29.32

132.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$118 $118

$44.55 €39.90

164.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.10 €17.10

Cinema Ticket

$15.71 $15.71

$9.60 €8.60

63.65%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,841 $1,841

$668 €598

175.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K $30.6K

$17.6K €15.8K

73.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$48.22 $48.22

$102 €91.4

-52.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.42 $38.42

$44.46 €39.82

-13.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$98.5 €88.2

3.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$152 $152

$124 €111

22.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,198 $3,198

$1,608 €1,440

98.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,362 $2,362

$1,190 €1,066

98.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,247 $6,247

$2,812 €2,519

122.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,271 $3,271

$2,013 €1,803

62.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,711 $9,711

$7,839 €7,021

23.89%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,624 $6,624

$4,576 €4,098

44.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,470 $5,470

$1,575 €1,411

247.30%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.64

3.85

72.47%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Somerville, MA: October 25, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Somerville, MA

$2.4K 58.7%

Lisbon

$1.2K 53.8% 49.6% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Somerville, MA

$475 11.8%

Lisbon

$272 12.3% 42.7% $203

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Somerville, MA

$391 9.7%

Lisbon

$212 9.6% 45.8% $179

Eating Out

Somerville, MA

$384 9.5%

Lisbon

$243 11% 36.9% $142

Clothing & Footwear

Somerville, MA

$153 3.8%

Lisbon

$166 7.5% 8.1% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Somerville, MA

$149 3.7%

Lisbon

$64 2.9% 57.3% $86

Getting Around

Somerville, MA

$111 2.8%

Lisbon

$63 2.9% 43.2% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $3,198 in Somerville, MA and $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Somerville, MA pays about 3.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $95 in Somerville, MA vs $62 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $475 vs $272 per month, with Lisbon cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Somerville, MA

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🕒 Local time

14:07 2:07 PM

19:07 7:07 PM

5 h ahead of Somerville, MA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

75,754

545,923 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Somerville, MA Lisbon 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Somerville, MA
Lisbon

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Somerville, MA vs Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,027 in Somerville, MA and $2,210 in Lisbon, so Lisbon is about 45% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Somerville, MA is about 3.5 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $3,198 in Somerville, MA versus $1,608 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,841 in Somerville, MA versus $668 in Lisbon. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 75% higher in Somerville, MA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $2,210 in Lisbon versus $4,027 in Somerville, MA, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Lisbon but tight or insufficient in Somerville, MA. The gap between the two cities makes Lisbon the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Lisbon is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Somerville, MA, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Somerville, MA and Lisbon are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Lisbon gentler on the wallet – expenses run 45% less than in Somerville, MA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.